SOHOME HORROR FEST PRIDE 18TH - 20TH JUNE 2021

12/6/2021

From the coded taboo of James Whale to the Babadook vogueing in Pride marches around the world, the horror genre always has been and always will be queer. So to, from its inception in 2018, the Soho Horror Film Festival has held LGBTQ+ visibility, inclusivity and celebration as one of its cornerstones. And now, following from last year’s success, we are delighted to invite you to the 2021 Sohome Horror Fest: Pride Edition.

In lieu of many Pride events across the country being postponed, we will once again be broadcasting an onslaught of sickening cinema straight to your homes, for a 3 day celebration of all things Queer Horror. A gala of gayness that will take a chainsaw to heteronormativity and bring you the very best voices in LGBTQ+ filmmaking: featuring 9 fierce features, 22 slaying shorts, and 5 very special events.

The festival is bookended in suitably fabulous fashion with today’s answer to Greg Araki and John Waters: opening with the UK Premiere of Gem Deger’s neon-soaked violent fantasia PLAYDURIZM and closing with the kink and kitsch filled wonderland that is Molly Hewitt’s HOLY TRINITY. From the director of The Ruins and S Club 7’s “Reach” video, Carter Smith evolves the seminal classic Hellbent into the 21st century with Blumhouse Televsion’s sexy slasher INTO THE DARK: MIDNIGHT KISS. Bram Stoker’s inherently queer text gets a bi-revitalise in Matheus Marchetti’s THE NUPTIALS OF DRACULA from Brazil; and continuing our love of Argentinean cinema, there’s the simmering psychological thriller THE DOSE. We have brooding and steamy southern Gothic in Richard Griffin’s BEFORE THE NIGHT IS OVER; soul-sucking post-mortem photography in the Mario Bava inspired THE INVISIBLE MOTHER; and every mother’s worst nightmare in Lauren Fash’s incredible THROUGH THE GLASS DARKLY. And joining us for its European Premiere: Shantay, you SLAY as giallo goes rainbow in our drag-tastic centrepiece film DEATH DROP GORGEOUS.

You won’t be a size queen when it comes to our sensational short selection; including the World Premiere of 2020 guest of honour Michael Varrati’s new film WHAT’S LEFT INSIDE, the skin crawling ITSY BITSY SPIDER, and ShockdownSaturday award-nominated Kelsey Bollig’s ASKING FOR A FRIEND to name just a few. Providing a platform for some of the more marginalised voices in our community is essential to Soho Horror, which is why we’ll also have a spotlight programme of Trans and Non-Binary shorts to coincide with our “Cis-tem Error: Trans Representation in Horror” Panel. Special events are also galore, including an evening of live music from the composer of Shudder’s Queer Horror documentary, Andrew Scott Bell, a live podcast from intersectional horror icons NIGHTMARE ON FIERCE STREET and the return of Ghouls Magazine for a 25th Anniversary celebration panel of otherness-empowering cult classic THE CRAFT!

So get your glitter ready, scream me by your name, and join us this June. Because, we are the queerdo’s, mister.

Sohome Horror Fest: Pride Edition is a virtual festival taking place from the 18th-20th June, it is ran on a Pay-What-You-Can price basis, with a recommended donation of £25 to help cover the costs of the festival. In addition, 25% of all donations will be given to Mermaids UK, an organisation that provides support for Trans, Non Binary & Gender diverse youth.